Milwaukee COMPACT (Gen 2) Tape Measure, 5 m x 25 mm, 4932498778

Milwaukee COMPACT (Gen 2) Tape Measure, 5 m x 25 mm, 4932498778

4932498778 is the five-metre version of the Milwaukee COMPACT (Gen II) range - the small-bodied tapes built for all-day belt carry. The blade is 5 m long and 25 mm wide, and the scale is metric only.

A 25 mm blade and a metric-only scale

The blade is 25 mm wide. This article carries a metric scale - metres and centimetres, no inches. The difference shows in the manufacturer's own naming: 4932498778 is listed as "5m-25", while the neighbouring 4932498779 is "5m/16ft-25" - the same 5 m and 25 mm, but with a dual metric and imperial scale. On a site working in metric throughout, a single-scale blade reads faster and leaves no wrong row to pick.

Standout and overhead measuring

For the COMPACT (Gen II) range Milwaukee publishes a standout of up to 2 m and overhead measuring up to 3.2 m. Both figures are given for the range as a whole - which runs from 3 m to 8 m - rather than separately for each length. They are quoted here as range figures, not as a measured value for the five-metre version: standout depends on both blade length and blade width.

Finger stop

The finger stop lets the blade be held and fed back under finger pressure instead of snapping into the case. With a long blade out, an uncontrolled return is noisy and wears both the hook and the spring; on a tape used daily, that controlled return keeps the blade serviceable.

Blade coating and belt clip

Milwaukee states an anti-tear coating over the first 15 cm of the blade for the COMPACT (Gen II) range. That is the stretch that wears first: it passes the hook on every return and takes every kink from short measurements. The case carries a metal belt clip - again a range feature - so the tape rides clipped on rather than loose in a pocket.

Technical specifications

In the box

• Milwaukee COMPACT (Gen 2) tape measure, 5 m x 25 mm - 1 pc.

Questions and Answers